Barton Springs Relief

When I last passed by Barton Springs Pool, I also checked out Eliza Springs, the cool amphitheater-type pool next to the playscape, to see if there were any alligators in it. I don’t know if I really ever saw an alligator living there or if it’s just one of those thing I remember because I was told as a kid and believed it… but the sign at Eliza says that no alligators live there. Much to my surprise, there was a lot of activity in the pool. People were acting as much like alligators as they could, except instead of trying to eat the salamanders that live there, which are protected species, they were simply “researching” them.

As you hopefully know, the water at Barton Springs and the adjacent springs comes from the highly porous Edwards Aquifer. Anything that gets dumped over the ground – motor oil, fertilizer for grass, diazonon to kill ants – eventually makes its way into the aquifer and then to the Springs and some people’s drinking water.

You may have read my post earlier this week about Oak Hill’s neighborhood plan. Well, what happens in Oak Hill and Southwest Austin affects the treasure that is the aquifer and Barton Springs. And now, dear citizens, you have an opportunity to comment on the plans for that area, without leaving the comfort of your desk. Nope, no all-night council meeting required (yet). Just go to the city’s survey about the Oak Hill plan and fill it out. You know the friends of developers will.

Then, to reward yourself for your participation, go on down to Barton Springs this Saturday for Free Swim Day (according to an email newsletter from the Save Our Springs Alliance, whose web site seems to be hosed at the moment)!

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